Magnus Isacsson – Page 10 – Documentary Field Notes and Flashpoints

Canada’s shame: H2Oil.

This is about a film which was nominated in three categories at the recent Rencontres internatinales du documentaire de Montreal, and which I saw at Cinema Parallèle the other day. Very much à propos, as the Copenhagen climate change conference enters the real negotiating stage. The film, H2Oil by Shannon Walsh (Loaded Pictures), is about the incredibly wasteful and polluting oil sands industry in Northern Alberta and its impact on both people and the environment. It struck me how similar this film is to my own first films, somewhere midway between a journalistic ‘dossier noir’ and a dramatically structured film. The footage of the tar sands is depressingly impressive, and some of the characters are excellent, including a doctor who shows real civil courage and some very touching aboriginal people from the most affected community, Fort Chipewayan.

I asked Shannon a couple of questions.

Shannon Walsh, the director of H2Oil.

· This is a huge subject which one would think would attract a lot of television journalists and filmmakers – have there been other films?

I was really shocked that there weren’t really any feature length films on the subject. There had been a doc aired on CBC called “Tar Sands: The Selling of Alberta” while we were still filming, and there were a couple of pro-industry pieces that had been done, but there really wasn’t much. I felt a lot of responsibility to try to tell the story in as complete a way as I could without losing the human dimension because so many people I met had no idea what was happening in the tar sands.

· And how did you get the funding to do yours in what I presume to be a competitive context?

I think we were in the first wave of projects coming through on the subject looking for funds, but to be honest it is such a complex and difficult subject to tackle. With the help of some supportive initial private funding we made our first trips out to Alberta and put together a short demo that I think reflected the film we wanted to make. That demo I think was a big part of how we set ourselves apart and were able to show that we could handle the subject matter with a sensitive approach.

· Excellent animation, how did you work on that?

I really wanted to find a way to get across some of the tough informative details in a fun and engaging way. I loved the work James Braithwaite had done on “I Met the Walrus” and I thought it would work for H2Oil, so we got in touch with him to see if he was interested. James brought in the excellent animators Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouve, and we brainstormed together around the content I wanted to put in each of the three animations. I had basic points of what I felt needed to be put together in the animations then I set about writing the scripts. James did the initial drawings and Dale and Sylvie brought them to life. We met several times to tighten and revise the sequences, as the initial drafts became more formal drawings, and were finally. It was amazing working with such talented, smart creative people who really understood what I wanted to do.

· Which were your biggest challenges?

There were a lot of challenges: Getting access to the government and industry. Trying to tell a rounded story that still got to the heart of the issues. Weaving all these very complex technical details, and making an argument without being didactic and losing the human story….END.

RCI, the International arm of the CBC, has announced a competition called Roots, calling for videos under 8 minutes. Sounds like a good challenge ! Rest here: http://roots.rcinet.ca/

Thanks to Jessica Berglund for the help with this post.

Mon documentaire préféré cette année: Les damnés de la mer

Aux Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal j’ai vu un film formidable, intitulé Les Damnés de la mer – qui a reçu le prix du meilleur film dans la section Écosociété. C’est aussi un film qui a eu un impact dans la réalité qu’il décrit. Le réalisateur Jawad Rhalib filme avec aplomb la surexploitation des ressources de pêche du Sud de la côte Atlantique du Maroc par d’énormes chalutiers venant d’autre pays, qui laissent les pêcheurs côtiers dans une situation intenable de pénurie et de misère. Rhalib a eu accès à des chalutiers Suédois qui sortent de l’eau d’énormes quantités de poisson à l’aide d’instruments ultra-modernes mais aussi de méthodes illégales. Les images sont impressionantes. Il les met en contraste avec le matériel tourné de façon très subtile, près des personnages, dans le village côtier de La Sarga, ou les pêcheurs ne savent plus quoi faire pour assurer leur survie. Et au coeur de cette situation il situe une femme, Ghizlaine, qui se bat contre une discrimination bien installée qui réserve le droit de pêcher aux hommes. C’est un coup de génie qui donne une dimension additionelle à un film déjà porteur de problématiques essentielles.

J’ai posé deux questions à Jawad Rhalib.

Ton film a l’air tellement parfait. Est-ce que tu l’avais scénarisé, ou imaginé comme il est là, ou les morceaux sont tombés en place à mesure que tu travaillais ?

Jawad: Si vous avez l’occasion de voir mon avant-dernier film “El Ejido, la loi du profit”, vous comprendrez ma façon de filmer, de traiter mes sujets, de leur donner la parole. Il y a toute un processus de repérage, de rencontre avec les personnes et d’écriture, il y a un canevas, un traitement qui me permet de savoir où aller. Je ne filme jamais à l’aveuglette, je ne pars jamais à la chasse à l’image et dire « on filme et on verra ce que nous ferons avec les images après », je suis contre ce procédé sauf si on fait du reportage d’investigation. J’ai une histoire, des personnes et je décide de la façon dont je vais les mettre en avant, mettre au devant de la scène leur message, choisir la meilleure forme. Bien entendu, il y a toujours des surprises vu que ce sont des personnes réelles, mais généralement ce sont toujours de bonnes surprises. Un réalisateur doit avoir aussi de la chance.

Pour Ghizlane, oui, au moment où je l’ai rencontré je savais qu’elle allait être mon personnage central, mais il y aussi l’histoire de la fête du mouton. Ghizlane était l’élément qui ramenait un peu l’histoire à sa dimension humaine. J’ai toujours était sensible à la situation de la femme dans mon pays d’origine, et avoir une histoire de femme au milieu de la mondialisation, le profit, la globalisation était tout simplement parfait. Ghizlane c’est un peu l’histoire dans l’histoire. Bien sûr, il ne faut pas mettre de côté les autres personnes qui restent aussi forts que la femme.

Le film a aidé à forcer des changements de politique, tu peux nous en parler ?

Jawad: Il y avait quelques mouvements mais c’était très timide. A croire que les mouvements en question avaient besoin d’une preuve pour dire au monde ce qui se passe dans ce coin du Maroc. Pour dire aux marocains ce qui se trame dans leur propre pays, avec leur propre ressource et pour dire au monde ce que le Nord, avec son poids politique et économique, inflige au sud. Dakhla et le Maroc n’est qu’un exemple de ce qui se passe dans le monde, en Afrique, en Asie et en Amérique du Sud. Oui, je ne boude pas mon plaisir de dire que le film, comme El Ejido, la loi du profit, a apporté des changements inespérés. Il y a le gouvernement suédois qui vient de prendre des décisions pour réduire, voire interdire à sa flotte de piller les ressources du sud, il y a le gouvernement marocain qui vient d’arrêter les deux chalutiers suédois, et entrain de mettre en place de nouvelles lois pour la protection des ressources, et enfin il y a un changement de la loi vis-à-vis des femmes qui veulent devenir « pêcheuses ». Et Ghizlane vient d’avoir son permis de pêche. Il faut savoir que Ghizlan sortait en mer sans permis, et si elle se faisait arrêter, elle risquait la prison et le patron de la barque une amende et la perte de sa barque. Aujourd’hui le film sert de preuve et de support pour changer les choses.

Merci à Jessica Berglund pour l’aide avec le blogue.

Bananas!*

During the Rencontres Internationales du documentaire de Montréal which just ended, I saw a number of really excellent documentaries. Over the next few weeks I’ll tell you about a couple of them, not just because of their qualities as films but because they are making a difference, having a real impact. To start with, here is a Swedish film which I already saw in Stockholm a few months ago, Bananas!*, by Fredrik Gertten.

It tells the outrageous story of the banana plantation workers in Nicaragua and Honduras who have been made sterile by exposure to the pesticide DBCP (which goes under several brand names including Nemagon) and the flamboyant L.A. lawuer Juan ‘Accidentes’ Dominguez who takes their defense. He does so without any funding, at his own expense, choosing a group of only 12 workers as a test case. The film has real suspense, following the ups and downs of the legal case. I was at the edge of my seat, dying to see how the law suit was going to end. Well shot, well edited, and with judicious use of archives and court room footage, this is a really important film.

The film has its suspense, and so did the release of the film. Dole, the company running the plantations, put enormous pressure on the filmmakers and the L.A. film festival where the film premiered last June. The company managed to have the film removed from competition, but didn’t manage to have the screenings canceled. It then sued the filmmakers, surely a grave public relations mistake. There was an uproar among documentary filmmakers, and the producers filed an anti-SLAPP motion in the U.S. (A SLAPP is a ‘strategic lawsuit against public participation’ intended not to right a wrong but to force the defendants to spend more time and money than they can afford….) What also made a difference was the reaction in Sweden, where the main medical journal (Läkartidningen) examined the health impacts of DBCP, the federation of Journalists and the Swedish Film Institute condemned the law suit as a threat to freedom of expression, the hamburger chain MAX and major supermarket chains like ICA put their relationship with Dole into question. All this pressure led to Dole withdrawing the law suit on Oct. I5th.
You can read a detailed chronology of all these developments on the Bananas!* web site, complete with the director’s twitter messages.

Thanks to Jessica Berglund for help with this post.

Première de ‘L’art en action’ aux RIDM

Simon Bujold, Jeannine Gagné, MI, Annie Roy et Pierre Allard. Photo: Ariane Jacob

Dans le cadre des Rencontres Internationales du documentaire de Montréal, nous avons lancé L’art en action, notre film sur les deux artistes Annie Roy et Pierre Allard qui forment l’ATSA, L’action terroriste socialement acceptable. Les 300 personnes environ présentes dans la salle ont reçu le film de manière enthousiaste, ce qui nous a évidemment rechauffé le coeur – à moi, le réalisaeur associé et DOP Simon Bujold, la productrice Jeannine Gagné de Amazone film, et nos deux ‘personnages principaux’ qui seront désormais simplement nos amis.

Le meilleur compliment que j’ai eu pendant la fête qui a suivi venait de Hugo Latulippe, le cinéaste de Bacon et l’admirable Ce qui Reste de Nous, qui me disait:

Je suis entré dans la salle un peu découragé parce que je n’arrive pas à financer mes films, mais je suis sorti du visionnement en me disant, ‘ostie, c’est décidé, je tourne !’ C’est la leçon que tu nous donnes Magnus, il faut tourner…..’

Je suis content de sortir un film que les gens trouvent inspirant, car le film que j’ai sorti aux Rencontres l’année passée, LA BATAILLE DE RABASKA (co-réalisé avec Martin Duckworth) se terminait de façon assez triste. L’art en action, comme Annie et Pierre, semble donner le goût aux gens d’agir, on ne peut pas souhaiter mieux.

Le film qui est distribué par les Films du 3 Mars prendra l’affiche au Cinéma Parallèle à Montréal le 20 Nov., et au Cinéma Cartier à Québec le 4 décembre.

Small Giants take on big challenge.

Maxime in Les Petits Géants.

Normally I would write this in French, but many francophones who read this blog will already know about this film, and it deserves to be widely distributed. So here goes…

Les Petits Géants ( The Small Giants) is a documentary about children from low-income neighborhoods who take on the challenge of performing Verdi’s opera The Masked Ball. ( the expression ‘on the other side of the track’ applies nicely here, as this is across the tracks from upscale Westmount) The film was directed and shot by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette and Émile Proulx-Cloutier, two young Quebec filmmakers – Anaïs is far from unknown though, having successfully directed both documentaries and fiction – and was the closing film at the annual Rendez-vous du cinéma Québecois last winter. The film follows five boys, 10-12 years old, through the rehearsals to the final performance, but also spends a lot of time with them in their families. The strength of the film lies here, in the terrific closeness to the characters and the seemingly complete access to their domestic environments. Having seen their family contexts which feature all manner of cultural handicaps, poverty and emotional deprivation, we completely understand that the discipline and self-confidence required to perform operatic roles in front of an audience don’t come easy. There are some very moving and sometimes funny moments when the youngsters express their insecurities, their dreams and aspirations.

Émile and Anaïs

I saw the film at the theatrical debut at the Cinéma Parallèle in Montreal, where it’s still playing.

In the discussion afterwards the filmmakers answered questions. Someone asked about the extreme close-up framing often used in the interviews with the guys. They explained that their whole objective was to see the experience from the point of view of the kids, or at least very close to them – which is also why the camera often stays on their faces while we hear adults giving instructions or opinions off-camera. I asked them why they followed five boys and no girls, something I found surprising given that there were some very interesting-looking girls in some of the rehearsal shots. Anaïs and Émile explained that they had discovered that in this particular age group, 10-12 years, girls are a lot more self-conscious and controlled than the boys. They found it much easier to have access to the boys’ emotions, and didn’t want any political correctness concerns come in the way of finding the five best characters for the film.

The film was produced by Amérimage-Spectra.

Thanks to Jessica Berglund for the help with this blog post.

Tusarnituuq: the MSO goes to Nunavik

Kent Nagano directs throatsingers Taqralik Partridge and Evie Mark
(credit: Robert Fréchette)

The other day at Cinéma Parallèle I saw a really excellent new documentary on the Montreal Symphonic Orchestra‘s visit to three Inuit communities in Nunavik. Tusarnituuq! Nagano in the Land of the Inuit was directed by Félix Lajeunesse and produced by Katarina Soukoup. It’s a moving account of the preparations for and the realization of this exceptional concert tour and of Nagano and his musicians encountering the Arctic and Inuit culture. The real strength of the film is in the characters from the young Inuit throat singers to famed MSO conductor Kent Nagano whose unassuming charm makes for a compelling screen presence. The editing by Marie-Christine Sarda is excellent. I put a couple of questions to the director and the producer.

Felix, this shoot was a very concentrated one, just a few days. Was that difficult? How did you prepare?

Answer : It definitely was a very intense shoot! I knew from the start that most of the 52 minutes film would have to be shot in just four days. So I tried to figure out in advance what «moments» or scenes were absolutely essential for the characters and story of the film. By imagining those moments in advance, I knew I would get a better sense of what to focus on during the actual shooting, and what sacrifices I could make. As an example, I knew that four days was a very short time for M.Nagano and the musicians to adapt to the North and the Inuit culture. So I spoke to my producer Katarina (who was also producing and organizing the Tour itself) and we both agreed that it was necessary, as early and often as possible in the Tour, to bring Kent Nagano and the musicians somewhere far out on the land (with Inuit guides), away from their schedules, rehearsals and instruments. Because I knew from my own previous Arctic experiences, that when you travel into the emptiness and grandeur of the Arctic with Inuit people (whether it’s the first time or whether you haven’t done it in a while), something quickly changes inside you. Time, space and light as you knew them cease to exist and you need to raise your awareness, open-mindedness and sensitivity to fuse with this new and powerful reality. I knew these moments would somehow make the characters of the film «come out» and it would help in bringing together the Inuit and OSM musicians. I worked with my director of photography and soundman to make sure we would be ready to film these moments properly when they come.

The full-house at the first concert in Inukjuak (photo: Robert Fréchette)

Katarina, you had almost all the key players on board, this must have taken quite a bit of time?

Answer : I found out about the tour while I was working with Avataq Cultural Institute. In addition to producing documentaries for Catbird, at the time I was also organizing a new Nunavik Arts Secretariat for Inuit artists in northern Quebec through Avataq. Avataq is a non-profit organization for the preservation and promotion of Inuit language and culture in Northern Quebec and the OSM approached them to help organize a tour of Nunavik about 2 ½ years ago. The idea of making a documentary about the tour came to me almost instantly – I knew that an artistic collaboration across cultures such as this one would be a very, very special encounter and felt it was vitally important to bear witness and share it with a wider public through the medium of film. I gathered up a group of talented collaborators, including Félix, who are all experienced in filming in the Arctic (and more importantly, working with Inuit) and we started brainstorming about how to make the film. The financing for the documentary, however, was quite tough, probably a reflection of how difficult it is to finance arts documentaries in these times. I started pitching it about 6 months before the tour began and knocked on every door you could imagine. We actually didn’t close financing until our documentary was at the rough cut stage, which meant Catbird took a huge financial risk in going ahead with the shoot with no guarantee that we would be able to finish the film. It made for quite a few sleepless nights! But ultimately what made me take that risk was the strong, driving belief that this cross cultural moment HAD to be documented and shared no matter what. And I hope our audiences find that it was worth it too.

Our financers include Radio-Canada and ARTV (the first broadcasters to become attached to the project), as well as Rogers Fund, SODEC, APTN, Filmoption International, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, the Kativik Regional Government, and tax credits. It’s a mix of standard and non-traditional doc financing, again I think a reflection of how creative doc producers must be these days in raising the financing for their films.

Thanks to Jessica Berglund for the help with this post.

A Tribute to Muriel Duckworth

Muriel reading. Photo: Terre Nash

Sadly we just learned that our friend Muriel Duckworth, pioneering feminist and peace activist, passed away Saturday morning at the venerable age of 100. I say we, because many of my relatives and friends knew and admired Muriel, a tireless opponent of war and injustice in all forms. You can read a biography of Muriel below.

Muriel is also one of the main characters in the documentary I am making about the Raging Grannies, together with Muriel’s son Martin who is doing the camera work, Carole Roy, Minerva Gow, Étienne Gagnon and our producers at Island Film Works. The last time I saw Muriel was when we did our last shoot with her some five weeks ago, at the Magog hospital. She received a visit from another Raging Granny, Marguerite Bilodeau, who is a retired nurse in addition to being a singer and peace activist. In characteristic fashion, ever the good-humoured activist, Muriel repeated her mantra ‘War is stupid.’

Marguerite and Muriel – my photo

Last year, we filmed Muriel’s 100th birthday party in the Eastern Townships – only one of three parties. I don’t believe in documentary being purely observational, and I helped organize a contingent of Raging Grannies from several cities who sang a song about Muriel, written by Granny Barbara Seifred. The song was in two parts. It’s a worthy tribute to a remarkable woman.

[Tune: Sweet Betsy from Pike]

Imagine Muriel Duckworth 100 this year….!
An occasion for a rousing good cheer…
With a cake and bright candles and much love to share…
To show our dear Muriel how much we care.

Oh Muriel Duckworth is a dear friend of ours…
In th’ Peace activist firmament she’s recognized as a Star!
Living legend…national treasure….beyond measure…by far…
Muriel Duckworth is our brightest spark!

[Tune: Clementine A SONG FOR MURIEL]

Muriel Duckworth, dear Muriel Duckworth…
Raging Granny….Superfine!
Peace activist and living legend….
A gold standard for Womankind!
A humanitarian…sometimes contrarian….
A hell-raiser with the Raging Grans ….
She wouldn’t be part of the revolution
Unless….like Emma…..she could dance!

She’s a Living National Treasure….
An inspiration for our lifetime….
A Quaker…a Peace maker
And mischief-maker…by design!
A founding member of Voice of Women….
She’s by definition: a pacifist…..
And a pilgrim to Hiroshima….
True anti-nuclear activist….

Muriel has the Order of Canada….
An impressive list of…..honorary degrees…..
To that we’ll add our Happy Birthday….
And our song….in a heartbeat!

[Tune: Sweet Betsy]

To Muriel Duckworth…femme formidable!
We treasure you as a friend….vraiment inestimable…
So here’s our Happy Birthday…you know that it’s meant
With Good Health and Good Cheer….and much merriment

Muriel H. Duckworth (born October 31, 1908) is a Canadian pacifist, feminist and social and community activist. She is also a practising Quaker, a religious faith deeply committed to non-violence.

Duckworth was a founding member of the Nova Scotia Voice of Women, a provincial branch of the Voice of Women (VOW). She served as the National President of VOW, now called the Canadian Voice of Women for
Peace, from 1967 to 1971. She also helped establish the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, a coalition of about 100 Canadian organizations working for the elimination of poverty in Canada and around the world. Duckworth was among the first women in Nova Scotia to run for political office as a New Democratic Party candidate in Halifax during the provincial elections of 1974 and 1978. She was the 1991 recipient of the Pearson Medal of Peace for furthering the cause of international peace as well as the equality of women and men. She was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1983.

Grannies protest CANSEC arms fair

Marching Grannies

All photos by Alan Auvaart (see below)

I just came back from filming the Raging Grannies in action at the protest against the CANSEC arms fair in Ottawa. It is the largest event of its kind in Canada, showcasing all the best new ways to inflict pain, cause death and create mayhem. It was held this year in Lansdowne Park inside the city limits. A protest action was organized by COAT – you can find all the information on Canada’s role in the arms trade on their web site. Arms bazaars were banned from Ottawa twenty years ago, but because of municipal fusions this measure has to be adopted again to be valid. Needless to say there is a citizen campaign underfoot to do just that.

On the roll Granny

The Raging Grannies from several cities and Mémés déchaînées from Montreal played a major role at this protest, setting up a Peace Garden and slowing traffic in and out of the exhibition, singing their songs and getting their message across. They sang, among other songs, WAR BUSINESS (you can guess to what tune…)

THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE WAR BUSINESS
THE BEST BUSINESS THEY KNOW!
NEVER MIND THE HOMELESS AND THE HUNGRY
NEVER MIND THE PEOPLE WITHOUT JOBS
WAR’S A STUPID WAY TO SPEND OUR MONEY
IT JUST AIN’T FUNNY! LET’S MAKE IT STOP!

And

Tune: Battle Hymn (Glory, Glory)

THE PROFITEERS ARE COMING HERE
AND THEY HAVE COME TO BUY
THE GADGETS THAT ARE ON DISPLAY
THAT BURN, EXPLODE AND FRY
AND ALL LAID OUT SO THEY CAN SEE
WHICH ONES THEY’D LIKE TO TRY
AT THE CANSEC TRADING SHOW.

For our shoot we had the help of some terrific Ottawa volunteers, including excellent photographer Alan Auvaart. It was his first encounter with the Grannies and he had this to say:’ The resilience of the Grannies to come out in such inclement weather to protest for what they believe in is truly amazing. I hope none of them catch colds!’ Here is his shot of the crew: myself, Martin Duckworth (on camera with assistant Kendall McQueen).

Part of the crew: Magnus Isacsson, Kendall McQueen, and Martin Duckworth

Thanks to Jorge Bustos-Estefan for help with this blog.

This trade union knows how to use film and video!

Still from the film ‘Final Offer’ directed by Sturla Gunnarsson

I recently had the opportunity to co-direct a 25-minute video for the Canadian Auto Workers with my wife Jocelyne Clarke. This is one of the very few commissioned pieces I have worked on in my 30 years of doing audiovisual work, but the Auto Workers is one organization I am pleased to work with. Not only does that union have a strong commitment to social justice, but it knows how to use film and video for educational purposes. The leadership of the union has also over the years shown an extraordinary openness to documentary filmmakers, not being afraid of letting them film life as it really was. This is evident in Sturla Gunnarson‘s excellent 1984 film Final Offer (NFB) which documented not just an important strike but the birth of the CAW as a Canadian Union, breaking off from the ‘international’ (US dominated) UAW. Another example is Barry Greenwald‘s terrific film The Negotiator (Barna-Alper 1995) which followed CAW president ‘Buzz’ Hargrove through some very difficult negotiations. And in Quebec, Louise Lemelin and Hélène Pichette made the excellent Troc: Made in Quebec which documented the fight against the closing of the Kenworth plant in Ste-Thérèse for Radio-Canada. I had an opportunity to talk to former CAW president Bob White, the main character of Final Offer, about the union’s attitude towards documentaries. If everyone shared his opinions, we would have an easier time making films ! Video below the photo.

Interviewing Bob White, President of the Canadian Auto Workers

Thanks to Jorge Bustos-Estefan for help with this blog.

Excellent doc: Malls R Us

An image from Helene Klodawsky’s documentary ‘Malls R Us’

Last week I had a chance to see Malls R Us, an excellent new documentary by an excellent Montreal filmmaker, Helene Klodawsky. Helene has made some terrific films, my favourite being No More Tears Sister, a story from Sri Lanka which beautifully illustrates the notion that ‘the personal is political.’ Not in a didactic or sloganeering kind of way, but just by telling a personal story set in the context of civil war and exile. One of the most interesting things about that film is the way colour has been manipulated through chemical treatment of the actual film stock.

Here’s a trailer for Malls R Us.

Malls R Us (produced by Ina Fichman of Instinct Films and Luc Martin-Glousset of Point du Jour) is about shopping malls, and the film gets inside the malls, from North America to Dubai, India and Japan, in every conceivable way. Rather than standing on the outside looking in – or spitting at them for that matter – the film takes us inside the mall not just physically but mentally, inside the heads of the people who conceive, design and build malls as well as the people who use them. One way Helene does that is by interviewing an impressive cast of key characters (kudos for convincing them), the other is by capturing some revealing conversations in the mall context. The film is also very thoughtful, about the deeper meaning of the prevalence of malls. Are they the cathedrals of modern times or – as author Ray Bradbury suggests in the film – today’s version of the town square? Or are they monuments to an era dominated by consumerism to the detriment of higher values? In her narration Helene takes care not to hit us over the head with any ready-made conclusions, which actually makes the film scarier, in a deeper and more subtle way. I asked Helene to talk about her creative process and editorial choices.

Helene Klodawsky

In 2006, while editing Family Motel (an alternative fiction film on a Somali refugee family’s journey into homelessness), I read the initial research on a new project being developed by Instinct Films. Writer Harold Crooks and researcher Terri Foxman were working closely with producer Ina Fichman on her idea about the global spread of shopping malls. I soon signed onto the project as director. Right from the start, there were many challenges as the film had been developed and sold as an international coproduction with many themes, contrasts, characters and locations. I needed to find a way to tell the 70-year-old story of these huge temples to consumerism, describe why malls hold such appeal for the billions of people who visit them, as well as provide a critique of their worldwide proliferation. Added to this was the complexity of getting into to malls to shoot. Think of gaining access to a prison; most of the time it was that difficult, and hence we were extremely limited in what and when we could shoot.

Early on I decided to focus on characters that were intensely involved in the world of malls – whether out of passion or despair – rather than intellectuals or social critics who observed malls only from a distance. I felt it was important that my intended audience (those who both adore and despise shopping centres) listen directly to those people who are fully committed to bringing malls to every corner of the globe. I knew I would have only a few days in each location and hence decided to construct a highly stylized post-modern collage made up of mini portraits of each character alongside malls that represented an issue or struggle. Wherever we shot I was surprised by what we found. For example, who would have thought that Science Fiction guru Ray Bradbury would be a proponent of malls, or that young men travel the US mourning the loss of once thriving, but now dead, malls? I am most proud of capturing the little known anti-mall protests in India – as in most of the world, mall developments seems to be a done deal, quietly accepted by most of the population. Audiences tell me how much they appreciate the complex reading that Malls R Us provides – waking us up to ways in which culture and the environment are being shaped by the everyday places that dot our cities and suburbs.

Thanks to Jorge Bustos-Estefan for help with this blog.